Pick Any Two

Here's one of my favorite signs I've found on Pinterest: 

(it's SO true!)

I actually presented it to my husband and told him to do just what it says......PICK ANY TWO!

He looked over the list, and reread it, and thought about it, and scratched his head.  He let out a few, "Hmmmm's."  He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, and then he closed it without saying a word.  His face looked troubled, conflicted.  He was in a stupor of sorts before he was able to answer.  BECAUSE HE WANTS IT ALL!

But, I told him he had to narrow it down to two.

Can you guess which two he picked?

Hint: he DIDN'T pick the "Works full time" one.
So, I asked him if that meant I could quit my job.
He rebuttal-ed, "You don't work full time."
Well, if he wants to get technical about it, I am not employed at my job "full time" (but don't get me started about telling a Mom she doesn't work!!!)  I also kindly informed him that I work at my job 24 hrs./week - which is 2/3 of "full time," so that means he now needs to decide WHICH of his two picks he will choose for me to reduce by two-thirds to compensate for that?!?
;)

Why My Husband is Awesome - Reason #419

Night before last I kind of had a little (read: major) Freak Out to Matt.
It had to do with how close it was getting to Christmas and how much work there was to do still.
It had to do with THE LIST.
It had to do with everyone's expectations.
(The Fam wants everything to be the same even though everything is NOT the same!)
It had to do with the demands on my TIME.  Namely, I don't have the same kind of TIME that I used to have to get things done - I now work my job during the school day hours, whereas before I "did Christmas" (and the homemaking/laundry/cooking) during those same hours.

So, after this "diarrhea of the mouth" (that took a good amount of time, with Matt "trapped" in our room) Matt's face had a look of bewilderment on it.
He doesn't want me to quit my job.
He doesn't want to quit having dinner.
He doesn't want me to quit showering.
He doesn't want to quit Christmas.
As a man, he feels he's suppose to come up with a solution - that's what men do, they "fix" things, but, at the moment, he didn't have a solution. 
That night, it got left like that - UNfixed.

The next afternoon, I got a text from Matt:
"I will be home from work around 5:00 to make dinner.  I will make whatever you have on the menu schedule if you leave me with the recipe.  Feel free to go and run any errands you may have."

Ahhhh!

That's what I needed!
He figured out a "solution" - sometimes in marriage, you need to re-divide the household responsibilities. 

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup (from "The Girl Who Ate Everything") was on the menu schedule, so, admittedly, I was a little nervous for him because.......well......let's just say it wasn't SPAGHETTI!  ;)

He realized dinner takes a long time to make!!  Whew!
But, that was OK - I was busy doing other things, remember?

When we sat down to eat, and I took my first spoonful -- it tasted A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.
It's like the lemon enhances all the other seasonings/flavors!

And I exclaimed this multiple times - as he sat there, hardly smiling about my compliments, BECAUSE he was drained from making dinner - it is A LOT of work - especially with multiple children all around needing help with homework, zippers, & urgent dilemmas.  Them asking, "What's for dinner?" or "What is THAT?" and telling you they're hungry don't make things any easier, either.  Poor Guy! :)  I can relate.  I love you, Matt!

Well, I thought I'd share the fabulous recipe with y'all.
I still haven't decided if it was SO GOOD because it really is SO GOOD or because I didn't have to make it!
Either way, here it is:

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Yield: about 6 servings

Ingredients

• 9 cups chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups carrots, chopped
• 1 1/3 cups onions, chopped finely
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 1/2 teaspoons lemon rind, grated
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 rotisserie-cooked chicken, shredded (about 3 cups)
• 8 ounces orzo pasta, uncooked (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely cracked (optional)
• 1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or large pot.
2. Add the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, lemon rind and salt. Saute ingredients over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. Bring to a boil.
4. Add the chicken and orzo. Simmer until orzo is cooked through. (see Note not serving soup right away)
5. Just before serving add parsley and remove bay leaf. Garnish with salt and black pepper if needed and Romano cheese if desired.

Notes

If you're serving right away you can add the orzo pasta and chicken at the same time until the orzo is cooked. If you plan on serving later it at a later time you may want to cook the orzo separately and add right before serving. The orzo pasta tends to soak up all the liquid and can become quite thick if you simmer the soup for a long time. You can always add more chicken stock if you want to thin it out a little.

Have YOUR husbands make it for your family, too!!  Enjoy!

A Sure Way to Have a Whole Month Fly By Without Even Realizing It

If time is ever moving too slow for you - just dragging on and you're wondering HOW you can make it go faster.......just GO ON A CRUISE.

Because it takes a WHOLE WEEK of pressing preparations before you can even leave:
Laundry
Writing up lists
Shopping
Making an instructions guide for our children's caretakers
Packing
Accomplishing THE LIST
ON TOP OF the extra hours at work that I had to pick up for others in trade to get the cruise week off, and Matt had to work to get all the things done that were needed for deadlines that would come up while we were gone or very shortly after we returned.
PLUS, add a daughter's birthday and party in there with my annual girls' shopping weekend in Park City on the side....

....and pretty much I was going non-stop for that first 8 days of the month.

THEN we made it on our [20th anniversary] cruise!  Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!

 The Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean

Relief.

No Responsibility.

Restful.

{Haha.  Matt took this "selfie" on the first evening.  

I was so worn out by the time our vacation actually started, I fell right to sleep waiting for the show to start!} 

 Recreational.

{Yes!  There is a operational Carousal on the ship.} 

Rejuvinating.

 Refreshing.

Royal Treatment.

from our awesome waiters, "Jeff" & "Lito"

 Romantic.

 Rewarding.

Sadly, that week went by way too fast.

Side Note:  My #1 tip for married couples:  Get Away Together (alone) often! (anything from a date night to an extended vacation)  There's really no substitute.....but that's a whole other blog post for another time.

And then we came back home.  Here's another adjective beginning with the letter "R" to describe that experience:  Rude Awakening. 

Not only was is COLD, but I had to now cook my own food, pick up my own towel, wipe my own nose......Oh no!!  

  
(It's been pretty much back to work non-stop again)

So, on MONDAY, I worked my shift all day and had to go to the grocery store for all the, "Mom! We're out of (fill in the blank with anything & everything)! items the kids bombarded me with upon my return.

On TUESDAY, I worked my shift all day and had to catch up on paying bills.  What in the heck was the current status of our bank account?!?

On WEDNESDAY, I worked my shift all day and did the miscellaneous "office" stuff...and finally decorated for Thanksgiving!  With a side of planning our ward's Christmas party.

On THURSDAY, I finally had a day off work, so I got around to unpacking all my luggage.  I also tackled cleaning the stove which appeared as if a 10 gallon pot of an assortment of foods & other stuff had exploded all over it in my absence.  I also slid on in to the Post Office in the nick of time - 4:56 p.m. - to send off this month's missionary care package (a blog post for another time) for Ryan Elder Brenchley.  (It's that time again, already?!?)

So, there's another week that's gone by in a FLASH.  It's November 20th already!?!?!  That means practically the whole month is gone!  And then Thanksgiving week always goes by fast and after that, November's over.  I really can't believe how quickly it went.  Here I am left reeling.

There you have it.
Prep week + Cruise week + Catch up week.....
How to lose a month in 20 days. (but what only seemed like a few)

20 Years Down, An Eternity to Go

THEN:

{9/9/94}

NOW:

{9/9/14}

We've been married 20 years!

*And we haven't changed at all in the past 20 years, have we?!?*

We finally made it to The Anniversary Inn for the first time, after 20 years!

They spoiled us with warm cookies, bottled water, cheesecake, & sparkling cider in our room - and delivered breakfast the following morning...because let's face it, 20 years is cause to celebrate!

Do you notice I keep mentioning, "20 Years"??

20 Years is kind of a BIG DEAL!

I used to think 20 years was such a long time - but it hasn't really seemed that long!

(Or am I just in denial?.....because when someone has, in fact, been married 20 years, it means they're not exactly a "young pup" anymore!!)  ;)

It just so happened, that our missionary son, Ryan, was flying out to the mission field

THIS morning, and he was allowed to call us from the airport, 

so as we were nestled all snug in our bed in The Palace Suite,

the phone rang at 6:50 a.m.!

But, I didn't mind, it was GREAT to talk to him.

(I just couldn't fall back to sleep very easily afterwards.)

THAT was such a huge, important decision to make 20 years ago - it kind of freaks me out

when I consider how young people make that decision (only in their 20's!) - but, for me, it was a RIGHT & WONDERFUL one.  I am so blessed & glad that I did!

Happy [20th] Anniversary, Matt!

XOXOX

If You Hold It, They Will Come

"Money Friends" that is.

Matt is holding $10,000 in Cold. Hard. Cash. (all denominations of bills)

And I've got my hands on $20,000 (all Ben Franklins)

We spent the last 3 days at a "Royalty & Romance" couple's retreat where they taught us (among many concepts) that we have to have a healthy relationship with money.  Therefore, Ben Franklin is one of our "money friends."

The mentors speaking told us we needed to see the money and hold the money to be able to believe we can have it for real in our lives.

OK.  Will do!

This Weekend:

It has been a tradition of Matt & mine, over the last several years, to go on a "recovery" overnighter at a hotel sometime between Christmas and New Year's.  We usually have our niece stay with our kiddos, but this year she is on an LDS mission in the Canary Islands.  And my other niece (the sister to the above mentioned niece) is getting married on New Year's Eve this year, and she planned her pre-wedding temple day on the Friday evening that we would've gone on the overnighter.....so, it didn't work out this year.  We decided to substitute an "all day date" instead.  Matt took the day off work on Friday.

* Breakfast at Ruth's Diner up Emigration Canyon

(No outdoor seating this morning in the frigid temps where the sun was blocked by the mountain the patio backs up to!)

* Then we looked at some cars at about 4 different dealerships in Salt Lake & Davis County.

Can I just say that some car salesmen are in the wrong job!  They're really bad!  NO people skills!

(One really good car had been sold just 20 minutes before we arrived and the buyer was still there 

doing paperwork and the car was, too, getting detailed!  Miss!)

* We went to this movie matinee:

(It was interesting.  Walter is quite a delightful geek. ;)  We liked it.  Very clean (PG).
We got good seats this time, unlike my last experience at a movie. 

Spoiler Alert:  Matt's favorite part was when I screamed out loud and grabbed his arm,
practically jumping into his lap, when a shark came out of the ocean!)

* We had "linner" at Costa Vida afterwards.

We got the usual:  sweet pork for Matt, grilled steak for me.  (Salad, that is.)

* We went home and changed into our dress clothes, then went up to the Bountiful Temple

to attend a session with our niece, Maddie, and her fiance, Josh - and a lot of my 

extended family.

{Interesting note about Maddie's maiden name/married name:  Currently, her last name is Fowers (same as my maiden name)
and her fiance's last name is Baum (pronounced, "bomb").  So, when she gets married, she will be known as "Maddie F. Baum."}  haha!  ;)

* We went to my brother's house for dessert following the temple session.

There were a few choices, but I had peppermint ice cream pie with Oreo crust - YUM!

* Everyone (except exhausted me) did their Saturday jobs in the morning...which drug into

the afternoon for "some" (who shall remain nameless).

* Matt took the girls sledding

* The boys went to the movie, "The Hobbit: The desolation of Smaug"

* Which meant I had the [quiet] house all to myself!!!!  And I read some more

from my book, A girl name Zippy: growing up small in Mooreland, Indiana

And then I fell asleep while reading, for about 1 1/2 hrs., until the troops [noisily] came home.

* We got together with some of the Brenchley adults for

Dickey's BBQ for dinner, card games, and visiting.

* Church on Sunday

I taught the Young Women two lessons:

This one and This one. 

As far as establishing a Christ-centered home, I found this helpful chart on Pinterest recently: 

{It's hanging on my fridge now, ready to go for 2014}

* Sunday afternoon was spent with a visit from my Visiting Teacher,

more reading, and a nap!

* We had a non-traditional Sunday dinner for Sunday dinner

(Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken), but it was

easy and allowed me to have a leisurely afternoon while

I am still recovering from the post-Christmas-run-over-by-a-truck feeling.   

* We never got to watch "A Christmas Story" during the month,

so we actually finished off the night watching it, even though it's after Christmas - that's OK, isn't it?

With the magic of Wikepedia and imdb, we discovered those "kids" (Ralphie & Scut Farkus) 

in the movie are like MY AGE! ~ weird.  

(the actors who play them, that is.)

Third Time's the Charm

Matt & I FINALLY made it on our "real" vacation this year....on our 3rd try.
{definition of "real" = not work related, no kids, no cell phone/connectivity, no rigid schedule, no cooking/cleaning and includes sleep, relaxing, lounging, reading, leisure, recuperating, clothing optional (did I say that?), play, laughing, massage, walks on the beach, and service with a smile.} 

After our failed attempt in February.

And after our forced cancellation in April due to a debilitating injury Matt had.

ALTHOUGH, it almost looked like we wouldn't make it on THIS vacation either, when at 3:40 p.m. on the day we were supposed to fly out, (we planned to leave at 9:25 p.m.) we got a phone call from our babysitter having to cancel!
A HUGE THANKS to Mike and Mandy and Dean and Jennifer who all insisted we couldn't cancel our vacation - it was our 19th Anniversary, after all, AND I had chopped 15 inches off my hair in anticipation of Cancun's humidity - so we pieced enough coverage together between them all to still be able to go at the last minute.

Here's the Photo Story of Cancun 2013:

We kept seeing a lot of the same people throughout our stay....and me, always the people watcher, took notice of them.  Matt did too, and we started to name them, and then when we'd see someone, we'd inform the other, "There's cardinal lady" or whatever...

We shared our vacation with:

"My brother, Mike"
"My sister, Beeb"
"Catherine Zeta-Jones"
"Sleepy guy at the bar"
"The decoy couple"
"Red bikini flasher"
"Medusa man"
"The Illinois groupies"
"The bingo girl"
"Tall, skinny couple"
"The shuttle peeps"
"All the single ladies"
"Jennifer Gee" (a girl I went to Elementary & Jr. High with who now happens to be my sister in law's sister in law!)
"Shauna Bushey" (someone from Farmington)
"Twice his wife's age guy"
"The teenagers" (it was an adults only resort, how did they get in?!?)
"The Odd couple"
"The pink shirt guy's wife"
"70's feathered hair"
"The reverse polygamist"

What "characters" they were!

Now, I wonder?  Did others "name" Matt & I, as well, unbeknownst to us?  Nicholas Cage and Bonnie Hunt perhaps?  ;)

{circa 2007.  Matt was asked to play Nicholas Cage in a "Hollywood Squares" game/adult party we had at our church.}

Fifteen Ways My Husband and I are Different

1.  He says ONE word
for every 1,000 of my words.

2.  He barely cracks a smile when he hears a joke - or something funny.
 My cackle laughter is heard for at least a block radius in the same situation.

3.  He likes bananas
I believe bananas are Satan's fruit.

4.  He will "escort" bugs/spiders out of our house.
I practice the ol' tissue-smash-and flush method if my home has been "invaded."

5.  He often will say, "NO, thanks" to candy/ice cream/treats.  (He says NO!???)
I say, "YES, PLEASE!!"

6.  He sleeps with a sheet half-way covering himself.
I sleep with ALL the covers/blankets tucked right up under my chin and secured down all around me so there are NO "air holes."

7.  He has a Science mind.
I have an English mind.

8.  He likes Miracle Whip.
I think Miracle Whip is one of Satan's condiments.

9.  He likes fish.
I've tried...several times...but just don't.
(the only time he's getting it for dinner is out at a restaurant)

10.  He remembers every great sports trivia (scores from games 20+ years ago).
I remember the words to every conversation.

11.  He can "train" for a race/event one or two times, and finish with a good time (even medals).
I train daily for months, and finish behind him, and at the middle to back of the pack.

12.  He's the calm one.
I shoot first, ask questions later.

13.  He is 6' 3"
I am 5' 3"

14.  He likes to sleep until the last moment possible.
 When I wake up, my mind starts racing, and I *have to* get going in the morning.

15.  He is Brilliant.
The smartest thing I ever did was marry him.  almost 19 years ago.


 But other than that, I really think this relationship can work!  ;)

 How are you and your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend different?

How Did it Get to be the LAST DAY OF NOVEMBER Already?

Before this month passes by, I need to get in at least ONE "Song of Gratitude".

I am so grateful for my husband.

                           
He is everything I AM NOT.  Patient.  Optimistic.  a Peacemaker.  (all fabulous things to have in a marriage!)   ;)
Sometimes he is THE ONLY ONE I can talk to about certain things...when I am so full of concern about something that I feel I am going to burst - or at least throw up - he is my confidante.

I am grateful for these 5 children of mine.

I love the "moments" I have with them.

We have this Little People Nativity set that plays "Away in a Manger" when you push a button, which Brookelle LOVES to do.....I caught her "leading the music" to that today.  Melt my heart & made me smile.
I had the Young Women over to my home for mutual this week making pumpkin bread.....well, it ended up taking A LONG TIME, so Ryan returned home from young men's before we were done.  He joined in talking with us all....and we were all laughing in no time.  At one time, I was doubled over, hoping I didn't pee my pants!!  Love his "fun-ness."  He stood in as a "Witness" at Katelyn's baptism last Saturday.  As I looked over from my vantage point in the "wings" of the font and saw him standing there reverently, dressed in his suit.....well, THAT was a GRATEFUL moment for this mom!
Katelyn brings me in breakfast while I am working in the morning -- scrambled eggs with bacon bits & toast and some fruit, with a cut out paper heart on the tray with the words, "Hers ur brekfus.  I love you." written on it.  So thoughtful - especially since I don't even have time to eat some mornings!  AND when one of my [unnamed] children decided to "run away" but really was just hiding out in the shed, Katelyn took out cookies & crackers to her sibling - and asked it we had any "take out" boxes, so she could take care of them at dinner time, too!
Kyle doesn't say much around the whole family - or at home in general....he sure listens to everything that other people ARE saying around him, though!!  Sometimes he responds with a slight smile, a shake of his head, or a roll of his eyes depending on how "amusing" he thinks we all are....but he "gathers" all this info that is surrounding him and keeps it all in his heart....AND THEN when I get him in the car with me alone, he let's loose!  All of a sudden, he's got PLENTY of things to talk about.  He brings up all the questions, comments, and discoveries he's been holding onto recently and we have quite the delightful 1:1 conversations together - on the road!
SShhhh, don't tell anyone, but Haylee is all for having her parents "tuck her in" at night still -- AND scratch her back, of course.  Who wouldn't be able to fall asleep with that?  I also find it charming that she likes to "spy" on the Young Women when they are over, or hang out in the "fringes" of the group and admire them - trying to throw out a clever comment whenever she can.  I'm grateful to have her join me with any of my Young Women preparations and deliveries to their homes.  She is always willing to help me when it involves the Young Women!  (I hope the Young Women feel HONORED that they are such a "Rock Star" in her mind, but I also hope they feel RESPONSIBLE - as she is viewing them as an example - good or bad!)

I am grateful for books.

This is one of my little "mommy tricks" I use.  This is one of those things I have always used to cure a cranky child.  Stop.  Sit down.  Cuddle up with them & read a story.  Magic.  Everything is good with the world again!  I was in a bookstore today, and I was lovin' it....it made me almost GIDDY to be surrounded by books, so many I want to read to my children - or have them read on their own.  This love of Children's Books started at a really young age for me - I remember our "reading alcove" in the house where I lived in California (ages 2 to 5).  It had a bookcase full of all our children's books and a padded rocker where my mom would read to us, or we could sit there and "lose ourselves" in a book, too.  (Sometimes I pretended to take my nap by sitting there looking at books real quietly instead, but my mom was not deceived when I came down and told her I was "done with my nap!")  My Grandma knew what THE BEST books were since she worked in the schools, and she gave us some of the "Classics" for gifts.  She always wrote our name & date in the front cover of the book and then signed her name.  Some of them still exist [lovingly used] at my mom's house, and whenever I see them, I get extremely sentimental!  When I've picked out books for my children, I pick those SAME ONES from my childhood!  This "magic" of children's books now spreads across four generations (at least that I can remember).  Tomorrow, on the first day of December, we will start our Christmas storybook tradition each night.  And I love that they only want ME to read them the story - word is that Dad or Big Brother just can't pull it off the same way!  If I'm gone one evening, they will just skip that night since it's "our thing."  And, contrary to the "code-of-cool-conduct" my teenagers still gather round for this ritual.  Another "moment" I am grateful for.

I am grateful for church callings.
Namely those people who are serving well in their callings.

I have always thought "the most important calling in the church" was the calling(s) that currently has stewardship over MY CHILDREN.  So, right now, that would be the Young Men's President and Priests' advisers, The Young Men's 2nd Counselor, Deacon's Advisers, and Scoutmasters.  The Primary Presidency, the Valiant 9 teachers, the Valiant 7 teachers, all the Activity Day Leaders, and the Sunbeam teachers.  They are helping and teaching my children so much.  And they LOVE them and make things ENJOYABLE for them.  Right now - and over the last several WEEKS - the Primary Organization is planning our ward Christmas Party....and that is a TON of work.  They are making a "movie" of the Primary Children by filming them "in action" and "interviewing" them - with the skills & services of our local professional film editor.  What an exciting & fun project!  I'm thankful for all the people who put in some much time and effort to carry out the work of the Lord.  (I, myself, have been in charge of activities before and I KNOW how much work it takes, so I'm ESPECIALLY grateful when someone else is doing it - and I'm on the receiving end!)  :)  I, too, have been blessed from serving in church callings -- remember that virtue of patience I don't have?  I'm sure getting a lot of LESSONS in that category while doing my calling!  :)

The list could go on, but these are the things that come to my mind the quickest here on this last ditch effort to express my gratitude before the month is over!  

My Own Kind of Victoria's Secret

Considering the fact that my husband
 is a lifelong Denver Broncos fan, 
THIS could pass as my "Sexy Lingerie" 
these days, couldn't it?!!? 

In honor of our recent anniversary, I snatched up this Old Navy find for under $15.

To which, my son asked in his disgusted voice, "MOM, do you even know who they're playing this week?"

That's NOT the point. 

It's very exciting, don't ya think?  ;)

Is 50% a Passing Score?

I discovered Pinterest. Have you?
It has ideas galore that you can SAVE to your own "Pin Board" if you want to file it away for future reference. It solves the problem of having to remember where you saw something that you really wanted to try and you were for sure not going to forget.....but then you did!

Anyway, I came across this "Road Trip Questionnaire" for couples to play together. And since we had a road trip coming up, I printed it off. It took the. whole. entire. drive. from St. George back up to Farmington -- and we still didn't both complete all 50 questions -- because one of us (I'll let you guess which one) has to think....and think.....and think about every answer for no less than three minutes. And these were the answers about themself - shouldn't you be the expert on yourself? Shouldn't you be able to just rattle off your favorite dessert? Dream Vacation? Favorite meal?

I've been together with Matt for 18 years now - I was pretty confident I could get the majority right.

WRONG!

I got 50%.

What?!?

What kind of pathetic wife only half-way knows her husband? I believe 50% would earn my High School and Jr. High School kids an "F" on their report cards.....AND they'd be grounded until they got their grade up!!! Do I deserve to be grounded now? But, then I remembered in my High School Calculus class, my teacher's whole goal was for his students to PASS the A.P. Calculus test at the end of the year. A score of 50% would get you a passing score (a score of 3, with a 5 being the highest), so he gave an "A" in his class to all students who had 50% or higher, because that was good enough to pass the test! So, if I look at it that way, I didn't do so bad, huh?!?

AND, if you consider that my husband got a 32%, then I REALLY didn't do so bad! :) hahaha.

WAIT, should I be laughing now - or crying?!?

Some of the answers weren't completely WRONG, they were just probably in the #2 - #5 range instead of "the most" or "the best" or "the favorite" of that particular subject - and since you could pick ONE answer, we missed a lot.

But, I did not know that my husband's Biggest Fear is The Ocean.
Or that his Favorite Childhood Memory is Listening to Christmas Music.
Or that if he could go ANYWHERE in the world on VACATION, it would be Okinawa, Japan (his mission) (What happened to the Canary Islands?)
Or that he considers his Biggest Achievement to Date being married in the temple and having five children.

So glad we did this - I'll be ready next time! :)

I thought it was interesting that when he was asked what MY favorite candy is, he answered Ju-Ju Hearts or [fruit] Mentos (which I DO like, but it was not my official answer of Wild Berry Skittles). To which I wondered (out loud) If he thinks or knows those are my favorites, WHY did NONE of those make it into my "Junk Box" for my birthday a few weeks before?!? (?) (?) (?)

He also thought that my Least Favorite Household Chore was doing dishes. I guess he thought that since I never do them - he always does. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that he made a promise to always do the dishes like 15 years ago - and I wouldn't want to be the cause of him breaking his promise now, would I? :)
(My least favorite is really cleaning out the refrigerator. Bleahhh!)

He overestimated my goodness when he answered that my favorite magazine was The Ensign. How shallow I felt when it was revealed that I had written down People magazine. (woops!) (my "guilty pleasure" while standing in the grocery store check out line)

He also thinks that The Best Compliment I Have Ever Received is that I have nice, tan, shapely legs. Uummmmm.....has he seen me lately?!? Or does he not think I've had any compliments since that WAS true 25 years ago?

I had to laugh so hard when my answer to What Turns You Off? was told (SLACKER, narrow-minded, rude, egotistical people) and Matt replied, "Oh, so _________ turns you off?" {he inserted a real person's name that I won't put out there on this blog.} He thought I'd described that person to a "T" ~ hahaha.

So, excuse me while I go earn some brownie points with my man by buying him green clothes (his favorite color) or even better, green M & M's ;). I'm gonna make him Ribeye Steak & Sweet Potato Pie for dinner (his favorite meal) - better yet, let's just go to Ruth's Chris since they do it with perfection. Stock up his stash of Symphony [with toffee] bars (his favorite candy), do his weeding for him (his least favorite chore), walk around barefoot (his favorite physical feature on me), and let him watch Star Wars (his favorite movie) to his heart's content.

Also, I've got some studying to do, so I can get a more respectable score! :)